The Washington critic., 1887-01-26
WASHINGTON, JANUARY 90, 1887.
LAW AND LIQUOR.

LAW AND LtgtoN.
Until the traffic in alcoholic bever.
ages can be absolutely prohibited In
this District 1t has got to be regulated.
We are not aware that anybody ap.
proves or advocates the sale OF liquors
without some restrictions II Is gen.
orally agreed that the trade should be
limited by statute and made to con
tribute TO the revenues in certain
proportion 10 The losses aud evils 1t
inficts upon ssci,ty What then
shall bethc lin,it--wnn' the license?
These are propositions which cannot
be determined with mathematical cX-
actness, but It may be stated us a prin'
ciple that license which Is so low as
to be merely nominal tends 10 an eN'
cessivc announcement Of the retail
traffic, while license which is so high
as to be unreasonably burdensomc leads
to the adoption of ma y surro2'iipus
devices for the evasion of thctnX alto.
ge,her, or to litigation that cmhnrrasses
and compicatrs the enforcement Of the
law. y license law so strinson ~,
to approximate prohibitory mw
is certain TO become in time dead
letter.
There is now pcnliug before the
Legislature at Albany n bill which pro
vides for six classes of licenses, rang
ing from 81 900 for the ordinary bar
room down 10 80 for drug store.
while the license for selling malt bev'
erages alone is but half the amount OF
the liquor license, and this the Tribune
is disposed TO consider too high. II
says: Whatever tends to lessen the
consumption of spirits is beneiicent.
Now experience shows that the more
beer is consumed the less whisky Is
used, and the change from alcoholic tC
malt beverages is in the direct interes
of temperance.
Whether $1,000 is too high for q
bar.room' license depends a good dca
upon circumstances and conditions
In the city of New York 1t would nC
doubt drive many of the more disrepu
table groggeries out of existence anc
still leave more than enough to quencl
the public thirst. Such license II
the District of Columbia would prob
ably prove too drastic q remedy and dc
feat It's own purpose.
The Senate bill which passed las
winter and is now awaiting the actor
of the House, strikes us as about tn,
best legislation that can he devised TO
this locality, excepting that we full
agree with the Trijune in regard to th
sale of malt liquors There is no ques
tion as to the intoxicating properties o
teer-otherwise there would be no de
are much less pronounced than thos
Of whisky, and, as rule, those wn
are habituated 10 its use, especially tn
foreign element, do not drink them
selves into the penitentiary or p,or
house. We shou i, therefore, max
some discrimination between malt an
distilled liquors. The one is relativel
much greater evil than the other
and If $500 is regarded high enougl
for the general bar room, $500 is non
too low for the beer saloon.
The bill in other respects is wei
guarded. No liquors are to be sold t
minors, nor intoxicated persons, no
habitual drunkards, though the prohib
tion as to Intoxicated persons" is al
surd and impracticable, there being n
infallible standard by which to judg
where sobriety ends and drunkenne;
begins.
No liquors are to be sold on Sunda
or between midnight and O'Clock |
the morning. No license shall b
granted without the written permissio
of a majority of the people ownin
real estate and a majority of the res
dents keeping house on the side of I'll
square where it is desired to locate, an
on the opposite side of the square, TIL
wholesale dealer is to pay license {
$500. Engaging in the sale of liquor
without license involves fine {
$500 In addition to the license required
and violation of any of the provision
of this act subjects the offender to
fine of 5000 One great thing in I'll
bill's favor is that a man who has
plank down $500 in advance for
license will be apt to pay close ob'ery
tion and obedience to the provisions
the law.
But let the law be tried and the Con
missioners supported, instead Of han
pcred, handicapped and overhauled |
complaining delegations,in their hone
efforts to enforce H. Especially let o
friends of the Christian Temperan
Union remember that the law is no,
eradicate, but to mitigate an evil tn
no legislation can usher in the mile
MUM. 1t is now in order for the llou
10 act
Miss ANTHONY evidently had for
cast of what was coming in the Sena
yesterday, for she is said to have be
previously oppressed with gloom, pr
sibly feeling for the moment with Nj
Stanton, that the labOrs Of u life tir
had borne no appreciable fruit. 7
good lady should recolleCt, howey,
that the cause in which she is engage
though slow Of progress, has, ney,